


This is My Heart and Maybe It's Yours To

by themutesinger



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Fluff, M/M, Other, jason and nico were together before heroes of olympus, lots of cute nicknames
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-04
Updated: 2015-10-04
Packaged: 2018-04-24 17:09:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4928053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/themutesinger/pseuds/themutesinger
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Nico is worried and searching for his lost boyfriend. A story told in a fluctuation between past and present that uncovers a tale of love.</p>
            </blockquote>





	This is My Heart and Maybe It's Yours To

**Author's Note:**

> I hope this isn't too ooc as it is my first foray into the fandom and I haven't properly written in over a month. I hope you like it though!

“ _Jason Grace is missing_.”

The words echoed through Nico’s head in a slow loop of torture, no amount of shutting his eyes and letting the shadows swarm him working to drown them out. He doesn’t even know where he is anymore, having shadow travelled away with his heart clenching as soon as the words had left Reyna’s lips. He digs his nails into his thighs and takes a deep, shaky breath. He opens his eyes and takes his in his surroundings, making out the familiar brickwork and cobblestone sidewalks in front of the building that had once been his mother’s favourite café when they lived in Italy from the top of the roof he was on. He isn’t that surprised, Italy tends to be the place he finds himself in when he is running away from his own feelings, warm memories of his mother and sister in wide open fields, his grandparents’ winery and beautiful warm sunlight soaking into his skin. He steps out of the shadows and lets that same sun warm him and calms himself down. He could find Jason, and he would find Jason, no matter what.

.**********.

He was surrounded, and there was nothing he could do about it. His body threatened to give up on him at any second and the smattering of undead soldiers he had managed to summon were faltering faster than he could count. Hazel was unconscious behind him and he may have only found her a short while ago but he knew without a doubt that he would die to protect his half-sister, so he fought on, sword of Stygian Iron swinging heavily as the dracaena advanced. He swung up through the stomach of the one on his left, its body exploding into dust as another replaced it and he was stuck once again, hacking and slashing with all the power he had left, parrying and thrusting in ways he would not have managed if it wasn’t for the months of repetitive training he had received in the Underworld at the hands of fallen heroes and even then it wasn’t enough. A tail swept out of nowhere, striking him square in the chest, some form of metal barb slicing through his skin, and sent him flying backwards into solid brick, his head hitting the wall and leaving his vision blurry without giving him the peaceful oblivion of unconsciousness. He struggled to blink the black spots from his vision and reached for the blur of black he assumed was his sword, his shaking hand missing with every pass towards it when a blur of purple and gold flashed in front of him and a cloud of dust exploded by his face, leaving him coughing and wheezing in its wake. Monster shrieks pierce the air around him and he tries to make out the blurry shapes around him, wincing as the slash across his chest twinges. And then the shrieks stop, and there was a face not far from his, blue- eyed and blond, but Nico couldn’t make out many other details with his vision failing him. “Hey, are you alright? What are you doing out here kid?”

“Hazel… where…?”

“It’s alright, Frank’s got her. We’re going to take you somewhere safe, okay?”

“Who..?” Nico tried shaking his head to get rid of the dizziness swamping his brain, and squinted to try to figure out who exactly was sliding their arms under his body to lift him from the dusty ground.

“I’m Jason, Jason Grace. You’ll be alright.” Was the last thing he heard before he slipped into oblivion.

.**********.

Nowhere, that’s where Jason Grace has to be. Nowhere, because Nico has searched everywhere he can think of and still has nothing to show for it. He checked everywhere in California, everywhere he remembers that has some sort of importance to Jason, everywhere he had ever mentioned having a mission, even the Underworld for crying out loud (although he was extremely thankful he found nothing there). It didn’t help that all of the shadow travelling he’s been doing is beginning to wear him down more than usual, the dark circles under his eyes almost like heavy bruises and his olive skin paling to the point that he was starting to look more like a ghost on the fields of Asphodel then a living being, whatever weight he had gained under Jason’s mother-wolfing melting off his bones like butter. He angrily chews a corner off a piece of ambrosia he snuck out of Camp Half- blood to replenish at least a little bit of his energy, and then tucks it back into a plastic snack bag in his coat pocket and sinks back into the shadows, picturing Camp Jupiter in his mind’s eye. He opens his eyes to the Senate House and sighs, stumbling forward for yet another dead-end conversation that would inevitably end with Reyna telling him he is not doing enough, storming off, collapsing from exhaustion and waking up tucked in Hazel’s bed, his sister’s cinnamon curls tickling his nose. He pats Argentum on the nose on his way in, smiling down at the silver dog when it licks his fingers. “Sometimes I think that dog likes you more than me.”

“I know he likes me more,” Nico replies watching the second praetor of Camp Jupiter walk out of the senate house towards him, her piercing gaze raking over him, and a question in her eyes. Nico sinks to his knees on the stairs, letting Argentum nuzzle against him while he sighs. “I’ve searched and searched Reyna, I don’t know where else I can go, where else he could be. He’s not dead, he’s not out in the world, and I can’t feel him anymore. I’ve tried everything and it’s not enough; I don’t know what else I can do.” He wipes tears from his eyes, catching his skin on nails recently bitten, and Reyna places a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“Nico, it’s been three months, maybe it’s time we-“

"No! I will not give up on him Reyna. He’s never given up on me and I will not do that to him. I can’t.”

.**********.

“Ambassador of Pluto, huh? That’s awesome man!”

“What are you doing here Grace?” Nico asked, turning with crossed arms and a raised eyebrow to the blond nuisance behind him.

“Can’t I just want to see my favourite child of Pluto without having ulterior motives?”

“No one does anything without ulterior motives Grace, positive or otherwise.” Jason sighed, and ran a hand through his hair.

“I just wanted to congratulate you Nico, and ask if you wanted to have dinner with me.”

“We always eat dinner together Jason, there’s only one dining hall.”

“Well, yeah, but we don’t always sit next to each other. And if you wanted, we could always go to one of the restaurants in New Rome or something.”

“Why?”

“Gods Nico, I just want to get to know you better, okay? Why is that so hard for you to believe?”

“Because no one’s ever wanted to before so I find it hard to believe someone like you could.” Jason frowned at him and Nico shook his head. “Whatever, it doesn’t matter.”

“Nico, I-“

“I’ll go.”

“What?”

“I’ll go have dinner with you.”

“Really?” Jason asked, a beaming smile spreading across his face. Nico sighed and nodded, squirming when Jason throws his arm around Nico’s shoulders.

“Don’t get your hopes up, I’m just doing this so you’ll realize how awful I am to be around and you’ll quit bothering me.”

“Just you watch Di Angelo, I’ll crack that shell of yours wide-open one day. I’m not giving up on you yet.”

.**********.

“Nico!” Nico turns just in time for Hazel to barrel into him, bits of her hair getting in his mouth as she buries her face under his chin. He wraps his arms around her and gives her a gentle squeeze, his lips twitching up in a tired smile. Hazel pulls back, her golden brown eyes taking in the deep bruise under her brother’s eyes, the usually warm brown dulled to obsidian, cheekbones prominent under paper thin gaunt skin , and his aviator jacket hanging off his frame worse than ever. “Where have you been? I’ve been so worried about you!”

“Sorry Haze, I’ve been searching again.”

“Nico…”

“I’ve been talking to some of the spirits in the Underworld and they mentioned some sort of big plot with He- Juno, so maybe if I-“

“No! What you’re going to do is come with me to the mess hall, eat something filling for a change, then go lie down and actually get a decent night’s sleep for the first time in seven months.”

“But-“

“No buts! Besides, there’s this new camper I want you to meet, I think you’ll like him!” Nico rolls his eyes; his sister knows how he is around people.

However, when he sees whom exactly it is that Hazel wants him to meet, he almost faints, and is steadied by Percy Freaking Jackson, who has no business being anywhere but making ridiculously sappy doe eyes at his girlfriend. “Hey, you alright man? You’re not looking too good.”

“He’s been using his powers too much, looking for Jason.”

“Who’s Jason?”

“He’s one of the Praetors here at Camp Jupiter, and he’s also Nico’s boyfriend. But he’s been missing for seven months now.”

“That’s rough man, sorry.” Nico frowns at Percy’s concern, and the glint of confusion and lack of recognition in his eyes.

“Uh, thanks,” Nico replies, holding out a hand that Percy shakes before taking a seat beside him. “I’m Nico Di Angelo.”

“Percy Jackson.” A part of Nico wants to scream ‘I know’, but the long scar slashed red and angry across his back is enough to remind him of why he cannot. He had sworn on the Styx not to reveal the existence of the two Camps to either group of demigods until the time was right and not even Percy Jackson showing up at Camp Jupiter out of the blue could- Wait. If Percy was here at Camp Jupiter, then maybe Jason was… Nico stands suddenly and laughs, making Hazel and Percy look at him funny but he does not care. He sweeps his sister up in a hug and kisses her forehead, setting her down with a relieved sigh.

“I’m sorry Haze, but I have to go, I know you wanted to spend time with me but I just realized something big.”

“But what about dinner? Or sleep?”

“I can take care of myself when I bring Jason back!” Nico calls back, slipping into the shadows with the first real smile he’s had in ages spreading across his face.

.**********.

“Jace?” Nico said, looking up at the blond with a frown that made crease lines between his eyebrows.

“Yeah Neeks?”

“There’s something I have to tell you, and you might be mad but I promise that the only reason I didn’t tell you was because I swore I wouldn’t.” It was Jason’s turn to frown and he gazed worriedly at Nico when the boy took his head out of Jason’s lap and sat up. “My father isn’t really Pluto.”

“What are you talking about Nico? I’ve seen you use your powers, you have to be Pluto’s child.”

“I’m not though, well I guess I am and I’m not at the same time.” Jason raised an eyebrow behind his glasses, blue eyes squinting in confusion. “Sorry, I suck at explaining things. My father is Hades, Pluto’s Greek aspect.”

“Wait, you mean the Greeks are still around? I thought they died out ages ago?”

“No. The infighting between the two groups got so bad that the Gods decided to make both sides believe the other had died out, and made sure that the Mist stopped them from seeing each other and eventually both the Greeks and the Roman forgot there was another type of Demigod in anything but legends. My father only let me know so that I could get Hazel to camp safely, and then made me swear on the River Styx to never let the Camps know about each other.”

“But, that’s really serious isn’t it? The punishment for breaking an oath on the Styx is…”

“A fate worse than death, I know. That’s why I’m only telling you, so I’m technically keeping the camps in the dark still. I have a feeling that I’m not totally in the clear though.”

“Nico, you, - I don’t-“

“I know it’s a lot to take in, I was confused when I found out too, but I had to tell you Mio Scintillo. You can’t base a relationship around lies,” Nico sighed and frowned, thinking about the mess with Percy and the others at Camp half-Blood and shuddered. He managed to smile when Jason wrapped his arm around Nico’s shoulders and rested his head on the blonde’s shoulder, reveling in the warmth and comfort the older boy provided.

“You haven’t used that one before, what’s it mean?”

“My spark,” Nico replied, blushing and hiding his face.

“Aww, Neeks is going soft.”

“Shut up Jace.” Jason laughed and pressed a kiss to Nico’s messy hair, then rested his head on top of Nico’s and they sat in silence for a while, the sun warming their skin and a soft breeze dancing through their hair.

“Hey Neeks?”

“Yeah Jace?”

“I love you.” Nico turned his head slightly to look at Jason, a beaming smile on his lips as he pressed them to Jason’s cheek.

“I love you to, il mio cielo.”

“Now what does that mean?” Jason whined, and Nico laughed heartily at him before he whispered the answer in Jason’s ear.

.**********.

Nico slides out of the shadows in front of the Big House at Camp Half-Blood, alarmed by the sound of loud voices coming from inside. He opens the door and nervously steps inside, walking as quickly as he can to the meeting room. He is not sure what he’ll find in there, or if Jason is even here, and the thought that he could be wrong leaves his hands shaking and he starts twisting his favourite skull ring with his fingers to calm down. He raises a fist and knocks on the door, the room beyond going eerily quiet and he almost stumbles in when the door suddenly opens. “Nico!” Annabeth cries from the head of the table, Chiron beside her the angry set to his brow turning to curiosity when Nico steps fully into the room. “I’m so glad you’re here! We know where Percy is but Chiron won’t let us- Nico?” Nico could barely hear Annabeth over the rushing of blood in his ears, his eyes locking with a pair of lightning blue ones.

“Jace…” Nico says, his voice a tearful whisper, and then he launches himself across the room, bone-thin arms wrapping around the other boy’s waist, sobbing lightly into Jason’s chest.

Jason looks down at the dark- haired boy in his arms, and he’s surprised by the lack of discomfort he feels from a stranger hugging him. If anything it feels more right than the lingering memories Hera had planted in his mind of him and Piper last year, the boy’s cold skin oddly soothing, and his head tucked perfectly under Jason’s chin. Then the boy peers up at him, dark brown eyes filled with tears, and he remembers.

_Those same eyes had looked up at him gleaming with tears once before, full of uncertainty and the fear of rejection, hauntingly beautiful and Jason couldn’t help but brush the tears away, his hand lingering on Nico’s cheek, stroking his sharp cheekbone with his thumb. “It’s alright Nico, I promise.” “_

_B-but I- you-” Jason thought nothing of cutting the boy off by pressing a soft kiss to his chapped lips; wet with spit from where Nico had been chewing them nervously. Nico was slow to respond, but eventually he relaxed against Jason, wrapped himself in the older boy’s embrace and kissed him back until Jason pulled away smiling. “_

_I like-like you too.”_

“Neeks,” Jason whispers, hushed like the boy he is slowly wrapping up in his arms will disappear at any moment.

“Yes, Mio Scintillo, it’s me,” Nico replies with a smile, and Jason finds himself leaning down to kiss him without a second thought; passionate, desperate and long-awaited. “Ti amo, bello.”

“I love you too, Carissime.”

.**********.

Months after the last giant falls, when the dust settles and the loss of his best friend becomes a dull ache in the back of his chest, Jason makes sure to hold Nico just as tightly as he did when the fighting was over. His brave, incredible Nico who had ensured the cooperation of the two Camps with only Reyna and Coach Hedge helping him, who worked his powers until he was forced into the infirmary by Will to make sure they would win the war, who faced Tartarus alone and led them to the Doors of Death. Jason slowly slides up the bed so he can rest on his elbow, peering down at the still-sleeping boy next to him and gently runs his fingers through Nico’s sleep-ruffled hair, smiling when the boy’s nose crinkles like a rabbit’s and his eyes flutter open. “Why are you up so early? It’s Saturday.”

“I don’t know Angel, maybe I just woke up so I could see how cute you look in your sleep.” Nico narrows his eyes at Jason, swatting his chest weakly.

“You sap.”

“Only for you Neeks.”

“Go back to sleep Mio Scintillo.” Nico grumbles, inching closer to the heat of Jason’s body and nuzzling into the side of his neck. Jason wraps his arm tighter around the smaller boy’s body and presses soft kisses to his hair and forehead. He lets his eyes slip closed when Nico’s breathing evens out again and quietly revels in the fact that this boy is his; that he gets to have this for as long as they both want it and to Jason there is nothing more perfect in the world than that.

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer :I own nothing  
> Translations:  
> Mio Scintillo: My Spark  
> Il Mio Cielo: My Sky  
> Ti Amo, bello: I love you, handsome.  
> Carissime: dearest/ most beloved (Latin, male vocative form of carissimus) [all other translations are (hopefully correct) Italian]


End file.
